


Devotion

by onnall



Category: Aquaman (2018)
Genre: I don't really want to define their relationship so you can define this whichever way, M/M
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2019-01-28
Updated: 2019-01-28
Packaged: 2019-10-18 04:00:08
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 1,225
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/17573462
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/onnall/pseuds/onnall
Summary: Murk came back from the surface without his left hand.





	Devotion

**Author's Note:**

> [OTTO_08](https://archiveofourown.org/users/OTTO_08) with her sharp observation pointed out that it was indeed Murk whose hand was cut, just like in the comics, only on the different side. So I revamped the work, but essentially what I wanted to say stayed the same.
> 
> I thought about writing it in the style of _Story of Your Life_ but then realized it doesn't really fit.
> 
> Like I said in the tag, I don't want to define their relationship. I don't really see them as in a romantic relationship - hence the lack of relationship tag. But if you do, I hope this thing still works for you.
> 
> A disclaimer: I've never read any DC comics.
> 
> My friend provided me with a cute trivia that I can't incorporate into the work, but I've posted at the end for anyone interested. Give yourself a cotton candy if you stumbled upon this page.

"The sickle blade sounds like your choice." The mess at the Fishermen royal palace took a while to clean up, but Orm was glad to see Murk brought back from the surface and out of bed.

"They said an upgrade is coming soon, Your Highness, better connection and control..." Murk waved his severed arm a bit. They had properly treated the cut, now he was just waiting for the chosen prosthetic to be calibrated. "I'm sorry, Your Highness... I let them got away."

That was not what Orm wanted to hear from Murk. He wanted to know whether he was OK, he could learn about the half breed and Xebellian traitor from someone else.

On his way back from the infirmary, Orm thought about where it could've gone differently.

He thought about the first time he met Murk. The young man almost caught up to the young Prince near the finish line of the EAC Marathon. That race, because of the runner-up closely chasing behind him, Prince Orm set a new personal best time.

Before they went up the stage for the ceremony, he went to congratulate the young man. He found him sitting by a giant clam near the reef, looking up to a school of damselfish. He learned they were about the same age. He learned Murk was in combat training to one day join the Atlantean military. 

He noticed how well trained Murk was. He noticed that during the race, and he noticed even more when conversing with him closely. So he was looking forward to one day sparring with Murk. 

Prince Orm didn't have much chances sparring with people outside of his Royal entourage, and in hand to hand combat there hadn't been that many people who could match him, let alone beat him every once in a while outside of King Nereus who taught him Xebel-Fu, Vulko who taught him everything else, and his father King Orvax who needed him one day to use everything he learned to take his place. Then Murk became another one.

Orm remembered he loved the thought that one day this talented and skilled young man would be among the many to protect his Atlantis. Orm also remembered the time when he realized maybe it wasn't the greatest idea. It was when Murk finished his training to officially transition into active duty.

Prince Orm asked Murk where he would go, and Murk said the special forces. He said he would be able to contribute a great deal to Atlantis. Orm knew that was true, with Murk's skill, it might be a waste if it had been any other troop. But he also felt reluctant to just let him join them. If the Prince and future King of Atlantis could be allowed to have a friend, Murk in the past two years would have grown to be the closest version of a friend to Orm.

He had wondered whether Murk would go on a mission and that was it, whether Murk would never come back from a mission. But as Prince Orm, he couldn't say anything more than "Be careful. I'll miss you in the capital."

Now that he recalled, Orm realized he hadn't been worrying about whether Murk would come back from a mission for years, not after that time when he thought he might really lose him. 

He remembered requesting to move Murk under his Royal Medical Household's care. He remembered his doctor explaining the head trauma and how they would treat it. He remembered getting a debrief about the mission Murk was on and how only he and another soldier survived. The other soldier succumbed to his injuries two days later. Murk survived, with a marked up face, after being in a medically induced coma for three weeks, bed-bound treatment for four months, and rehabilitation training for a year.

When Murk woke up, he said he would go back to his troops when he recovered. Orm remembered how he wanted to just shout "I forbid it" at him, but instead only offered him to lead his Elite Commandos.

"You would be by my side and we could protect each other" was what Orm couldn't say. He remembered every excruciating second that drifted by and the a million different ways he considered of framing it when he finally came up with what he thought would leave dignity for both of them: "I need a Captain for my Elite Commandos. It's yours if you ever get tired of the life at the special forces. Or I'll sign a King's Order to reassign you when I become King, whichever comes first."

He thought at the time it might actually take his King's Order to move Murk out of the special forces. But in reality, Murk was only back to the special forces for two months. Then King Orvax passed away. When Orm was busy transitioning into his new role of King of Atlantis, he received an application for Captain of his Elite Commandos, from Murk.

The King , and his loyal soldier, contributing everything they had, everything they knew, to Atlantis, to make her thrive. That had been some good years, regarded Orm. Even when his half breed bastard brother showed up in Atlantis for the first time for the Mother Box, Murk thought it might be a good precaution to bring him in for questioning, But Orm thought wait and see was still the best play. When that half breed came back again in Mera's ship of all ships, Orm and Murk agreed this called for an action.

Of all the past Orm just reflected upon, he thought maybe this was the only point it could have gone differently.

He certainly couldn't deprive Murk, a soldier, the pride of serving on the mightiest military force they had. He certainly couldn't live with himself if he just let Murk stay on the special forces forever and come back as a corpse one day if any piece of him could come back at all. After Mera and the half breed ran away he certainly wouldn't ask anyone else to go after them, Murk certainly wouldn't let anyone else lead the mission.

So what if, they just let the meeting between the half breed and the traitors happen as it happened, and go on to commit more treason. He would've had Fishermen just like he had it now, and he would've been approaching Kingdom of the Brine as he was now too.

He knew Murk wouldn't be pondering the what-ifs right now, or the only what-if he might be pondering would be "what if I did this then they wouldn't get away". It outraged him that his loyalest soldier lost a limb while the traitor was about to savor Atlantis' glorious moment when he saw Vulko waiting to greet him.

"I have devoted my life to Atlantis." he said after confronting his teacher and adviser. Not just him, Murk and all the other Atlanteans who devoted their life to Atlantis, they were not waiting to be ruled by a surface dweller who didn't understand their ways. More than just betraying their Kingdom or King Orm, he betrayed every effort devoted to protecting the Kingdom, and he dared to say the half breed was twice the King. How laughable, thought Orm. "Take him, and make sure he has a view."

**Author's Note:**

> While on the surface world, Murk discovered that he loves cotton candy, calling it "the most delicious thing I have ever put in my mouth."——[DC Database](https://dc.fandom.com/wiki/Murk_\(Prime_Earth\))


End file.
